Tomura Shigaraki vs. Cathleen Bate is the battle between "Tomura Shigaraki" and the No. 1 American Pro Hero, Star and Stripe.
Prologue#
After the Paranormal Liberation War, the hero society of Japan has fallen. Using his influence and contacts abroad, All For One made his overseas associates and foreign villains cause enough trouble that the other nations were reluctant to send some of their heroes to Japan to help, prioritizing their own safety. However, America's number one hero, Star and Stripe, disobeyed orders to stay in the country and went to Japan along with a squadron of X-66 fighter jets.
All For One wanted to get a hold of One For All first and then Star and Stripe's Quirk, New Order, but with her decision to come to Japan, he is forced to change his priorities.[1] All For One wants to get Star's Quirk, but above all, he wants to prevent her and Izuku Midoriya from meeting. For this reason, he makes the decision to send "Tomura Shigaraki" to confront her, even though it poses a great risk because his body is still incomplete.[2]
As Star and her squadrons approach the Japanese archipelago, they are suddenly "greeted" by "Tomura", who is riding a flying Near High-End Nomu. She immediately inquires if he is the notorious villain mastermind known as "All For One," to which he responds with a cryptic answer, asking what exactly he is. The Bravo leader quickly reports to Star and Stripe that the figure before them is, in fact, Tomura Shigaraki, revealing that he has the ability to unleash EMP blasts. In response, they order all units to deploy shock shields for the planes and disengage autopilot to prepare for combat.[1] The Bravo leader asks whether they plan to attack or retreat. Star, unfazed, simply replies that he shouldn't even need to ask: they're going to smash.[3]
Battle#
At the command, the fighter jets swiftly form up into a battle formation. Meanwhile, "Tomura" murmurs to himself, grappling with a strange sensation. Though he is undeniably Tomura Shigaraki, he can't shake the feeling that he's also someone else— perhaps All For One, or even Tenko Shimura. With little time to dwell on these thoughts, he quickly combines the Radio Waves, Air Cannon, and Heavy Payload Quirks, releasing a massive electric air blast aimed at taking down the jets. In response, Star and Stripe orders the pilots to evade the oncoming attack, just as she leaps off the plane she had been standing on.
Everyone skillfully evades the blast, but "Tomura" taunts Star and Stripe, suggesting that whoever touches the other first will win, referring to the effects of their Quirks. Star and Stripe dismisses his bravado without a second thought. Landing effortlessly on a jet, she immediately activates New Order, declaring that the air within 100 meters ahead of her will cease to exist. In an instant, a star-shaped vacuum forms around "Tomura" and the Nomu, draining all the atmosphere from the area. "Tomura" puts his hands in front of his mouth to use an oxygen Quirk to continue breathing as he feels the crushing pressure of the vacuum on his body. Despite the dire situation, he can't help but think how terrifying Star's Quirk is, only making him desire it even more.
Having anticipated that the vacuum would not be enough to finish him off, Star and Stripe orders her squad to engage. The pilots unleash a barrage of lasers from all directions, confident they've secured the upper hand, though Star reminds them not to get overconfident. True to form, "Tomura" activates Reflect and Scatter, redirecting the lasers back at them from multiple angles while his body's Super Regeneration works to heal the damage. One of the reflected beams strikes Star, but it has no effect on her. With a command, she uses New Order to hold the laser and halt it in its tracks. This move disrupts the vacuum around "Tomura", giving him the opportunity to analyze and deduce the limits of her Quirk.
Seizing the opportunity, "Tomura" activates Springlike Limbs, propelling himself toward Star and Stripe. Anticipating his move, Star also leaps forward, meeting him head-on and landing a powerful punch squarely on his face. As the blow lands, Star is fully aware of the limitations of her Quirk: it can only enforce two rules, one of which always enhances her physicality, but only when applied to herself, and she can't boost her strength to All Might's level.
Before they both crash onto another plane, Star and Stripe takes a moment to speak. She tells "Tomura" how, as a child, All Might saved her life, becoming her inspiration to pursue heroism. Hearing the name of his master's arch-nemesis, "Tomura" curses under his breath, a surge of anger building within him. Without wasting another second, Star takes control. With a steely gaze, she uses New Order, declaring that Tomura Shigaraki's heart will stop beating if he moves a single muscle.
To Star's surprise, her New Order has no effect on "Tomura." Unbeknownst to her, the fusion of the wills of Tomura Shigaraki and All for One is giving rise to something new. Inside him, Tomura's Vestige battles against his master's influence, but to no avail. All for One's voice echoes in his mind, urging him to let his hatred flow, for it will lead them to their glorious future. As the conflict intensifies within him, "Tomura's" hair begins to grow long, a physical manifestation of his transformation. In the midst of the chaos, his thoughts drift back to his old family home, the place where his hatred was born. Fueled by rage, his anger builds to a boiling point. Then, with a burst of power, "Tomura" generates a massive explosion.[3]
The blast sends Star and Stripe hurtling backwards, leaving her momentarily disoriented and confused by what just occurred. As she recovers, she notices that "Tomura's" hair has somehow grown longer. Meanwhile, "Tomura" himself declares with a chilling certainty that he has finally deduced how New Order works. One of the pilots, seeing her struggle to regain her footing, offers Star a chance to land on his plane's topside. As she does, he anxiously asks what their next move should be. Star, her expression grim, instructs him to send a message to Commander Timothy Agpar. The pilot hesitates, surprised by the order, knowing full well what it implies. But Star, her voice steady and resolute, responds that "Tomura" is not just a threat to Japan, but a danger to the entire world.
The pilots swiftly comply with Star and Stripe's orders and begin to maneuver. However, the pilot of the ship "Tomura" is standing on shakes him off, sending him crashing back onto the flying Nomu. Unfazed, Star activates New Order once again, solidifying the air around her and expanding it into a massive construct of herself 1000 times her size. With a quiet determination, she prepares her Ultimate Move: Fist Bump to the Earth. Star knows this is the only way to completely obliterate him: to reduce "Tomura" down to nothing, once and for all.
Mimicking Star and Stripe's movements, the colossal air construct punches "Tomura" and the Nomu with staggering force, sending them flying. The massive form then brings its hands together in a crushing clap, but even that isn't enough to defeat him. Without hesitation, Star orders the pilots to fire their lasers at her, instructing them to combine their attacks into a single concentrated beam using New Order. With the lasers converging, she channels the energy through her gigantic air construct, transforming it into her ultimate weapon: United Hyper-Max Output Laser: Keraunos. The powerful beam locks onto "Tomura," pinning him to the seabed beneath as it relentlessly burns him with concentrated energy.
One of the pilots, watching the massive blast, dares to hope that "Tomura" has finally been terminated. But Star and Stripe, her expression unreadable, calmly responds that if it were that easy, Endeavor would have been the one to finish him off by now. Suddenly, Star receives a call from Commander Agpar, who reprimands her for acting without authorization and warns her that her punishment will be far worse than simply losing her hero license. Star, unfazed, interrupts him, asking if the preparations are complete. Agpar responds curtly, confirming that the intercontinental cruise missiles codenamed Tiamat are already en route to her position.[4]
The Tiamat missiles soon streak towards the battlefield, and one of the pilots asks Star and Stripe if she can use them. Star's answer is decisive: she'll have to sacrifice the laser rule to make her next move. She instructs the fighter pilots to focus their lasers on "Tomura" while she prepares to grab the inbound missiles. Despite being relentlessly burned by the intense laser fire, "Tomura" quickly deduces that this isn't the final blow. He realizes that Star is only using the lasers to keep him stun-locked, buying time for an even more powerful attack. With that knowledge, he begins to strategize his escape.
Star, however, remains unfazed. She channels all her focus into the gigantic air construct, using New Order to perfectly time its movements. She directs the construct to snatch the missiles mid-air, all while sacrificing the laser rule. Redirecting them with her Quirk, she sends them hurtling toward "Tomura." As the missiles close in, "Tomura" tries to escape, but the fighter jets maintain a relentless barrage of laser fire, pinning him down. The constant barrage keeps him grounded, and soon enough, the missiles hit their mark, delivering a devastating attack which Star names State-of-the-Art Hypersonic Intercontinental Cruise Punch. The resulting explosion is so powerful that it's visible from the mainland, a massive shockwave rippling through the air.
Looking down at the crater left by the punch, Star and Stripe notices a hole at its center. Suddenly, a charred "Tomura" emerges from it. He had known that Star was about to unleash something dangerous and used his Decay Quirk to carve a hole in the ground, narrowly escaping death. Had he been even a second too late, he would have been finished. It turns out that the Nomu "Tomura" had been riding into battle was a decoy, a mere distraction. He grins, saying he was playing along with their game, and that had anyone else been hit by the missiles, they would've been done for.
As he slowly begins to regenerate, he commands the Nomu to explode, creating a diversion that momentarily distracts the pilots. With this opening, "Tomura" leaps forward, using the jets as platforms to spring toward Star, boasting that "[him] and [himself]" will make better use of New Order and her resources than she ever could. Witnessing this, one of the fighter pilots urges Star to finish "Tomura" by destroying his aircraft, but she hesitates, knowing that "Tomura" will regenerate too quickly for the strike to be fatal. Before she can act, "Tomura" reaches her and swiftly grabs her face.[5]
Star and Stripe struggles to prevent herself from decaying, desperately issuing a command through New Order. However, the rule she attempts to set is beyond the upper limits of her Quirk, and instead of stopping the decay, she only manages to slow it down. "Tomura" is delighted by this, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he informs her that her body began decaying the moment he started stealing her Quirk— prioritizing her own survival and, in the process, losing the very power that defined her.
Now empowered by New Order, "Tomura" prepares to manipulate the air around them, but is suddenly interrupted. The Vestige of Star and Stripe appears within the All For One Quirk, confronting him directly as "Tomura" begins to explode from within. The fighter pilots, witnessing the chaotic scene unfold, realize that Star has affected "Tomura" in some way. In the final moments before her body began to break down, Star had declared that New Order would revolt against other Quirks, causing a conflict within "Tomura's" body. All For One curses her name, fury and disbelief mounting as Star's own Vestige begins to tear through the other Vestiges inside "Tomura", wreaking havoc. The chaos spreads, forcing both Tomura and All For One into a desperate struggle for control.
Star and Stripe's mind races as she considers the worst-case scenario unfolding before her: the possibility of her death and the theft of her Quirk. While she would have liked to protect both her life and her abilities, she knows what's at stake. To stop a global threat like "Tomura," she's willing to sacrifice it all. With that, she quietly thanks her friends, the fighter pilots, for everything they've done for her. They've supported her all the way to this point, and their efforts will not be in vain.
Meanwhile, "Tomura" is caught in the turmoil of conflicting Quirks within him, desperately trying to make sense of the chaos. He understands that while he can give or take Quirks, he cannot simply rid himself of them. In his desperation, he searches for someone to palm New Order off to, hoping to rid himself of its influence. In an instant, the fighter pilots unleash a full barrage of laser fire on "Tomura," declaring that Star is still fighting within him and that her sacrifice will not be in vain. As the lasers tear into "Tomura," the Reflect Quirk he once held is destroyed by Star's Vestige.
Star, now fully surrendering to the Decay, begins to feel her life slipping away. In her final moments, she thinks of All Might— how he saved her when she was a child, how his actions inspired her to become a hero. Because of him, she was able to live her dream, to fight for a better world. All For One curses the "specter of All Might" in frustration, but his words are drowned out by the relentless barrage of lasers from the pilots, continuing their assault as Star's sacrifice echoes through the chaos.[2]
Desperate, "Tomura" steals the Wing Quirk from the Nomu, using it to escape the battlefield in a frantic bid to rid himself of New Order, which continues to rampage uncontrollably within him. He curses All Might's name once again, his frustration mounting as he makes his way toward the mainland, leaving the fighter pilots behind in pursuit. Reaching a pier, "Tomura" breaks into the safehouse of the escapee Kashiko Kashi and his fellow former inmate. He attempts to touch his face, hoping to make him Quirkless, a necessary step to safely transfer New Order into him, preserving its influence.
But just as he prepares to carry out his plan, the Vestige of Star and Stripe mocks him, her voice echoing in his mind. She reminds him that thanks to the Quirks New Order had revolted against, the death of her final embers has been sealed. Yet, as her presence begins to fade, she delivers one final, defiant message. "Tomura," though she may not have killed him, cannot stop the truth: as long as there are people willing to stand up to him, willing to save one another, his end will come. All For One's voice cuts through the moment, dripping with arrogance as he retorts that the true winner is the one who lives the longest. Amid the chaos, deep within "Tomura," Tenko, the boy who once was, sits surrounded by hands as he calls out to Izuku.[6]
Aftermath#
Soon after, an extensive search party is dispatched to locate "Tomura," but by the time they arrive, he has already vanished. The world is left in shock and mourning over Star and Stripe's death. In the wake of her sacrifice, every country has pulled back their support for Japan, retreating behind their own borders to protect their nations from potential chaos. The fear of a social collapse from further attacks has caused global leaders to prioritize their own security, much to the dismay of numerous Pro Heroes who had hoped for international solidarity.
The fighter jet pilots meet with Japanese heroes and authorities, delivering some much-needed hope. Despite the overwhelming losses, they reveal that their X-66 jets recorded the entire battle, capturing valuable data on "Tomura's" bio-signatures. This data, alongside the ongoing studies at Central Hospital, provides a crucial breakthrough. The new information shows that "Tomura" still requires at least one more week to fully complete his transformation, a delay bought by Star's sacrifice.
All Might informs Class 1-A about the situation. He tells them that the time to end this fight is nearing. They must prepare themselves, for the final confrontation with All For One and "Tomura" is fast approaching.[6]